295 replies to this topic

[Michael Jr.]

I am kind of wondering how to shuffle off in to that great good night. Should I go out screaming at the inequities sent my way or just reveal it at all and give you all my secrets?
 
I am not going to live forever and I am willing to answer all your track building questions. My company built over 500 tracks; there is nothing you can surprise us with. So ask away...
 
Steve Ogilvie, the world's largest manufacturer of eight-lane commercial slot car racing tracks.

I'm thinking you have about 500 more left to build as a swan song. Need to get some ore out to make sure the attrition rate doesn't overcome existing stock. I haven't finished acquiring all of your track designs I intend to use.

[Detroit Dave]

I raced a track in SE Michigan this week which had cross overs.  First time I have seen this layout.  Any thoughts on who the builder is of this one and what track it might be? 

[Rob Voska]

Looks like a track used for a Parma Challenge cup race at a motel in the early 2000's.

[Michael Jr.]

That's a. Beautiful track!

[Ramcatlarry]

Rob is right. TOA convention for sure.  Track was also at Mid America in Montgomery, IL for a time before the Midwest Monster replaced it.

[NSwanberg]

I believe this is an Ogilvie track currently located at H.OT.T. Slots on Wayne Road in Westland Michigan. Formerly Slotcar Mania. It is described as a hill climb with crossovers. After years of spray glue racing the current owner has done a miraculous job of cleaning the track of rubber and glue and only allows non glue cars on the track. Not much organised racing going on but it is neat place for 1/32 cars. I have tested silicone coated sponge rubber tired cars of various sorts on this track on a couple of occasions. Wing car bodies, at the current USRA rules limit, will not make it under the first crossover on a couple of the lanes without hitting the bridge. Still the wing cars were about 3/4 the experience of spray glue racing. A JK Indy car was quite loose as was a retro Can Am car. I think if you built retro cars for these tires it would be just as much fun. One of the customer advantages of silicone coated sponge rubber tires is that you can buy ready to run cars with these tires and come back a couple of months later and the tires are still good. Where as natural rubber tires will be dried out and hard. Telling a customer he has to replace his tires when they have only been used a time or two is not good the slot car industry.

[MSwiss]

Resurrecting tires that have been sitting around is predicated by how much effort the raceway owner wants to make.

Tires a few months old can usually brought back to life with Trinity Sticky Fingers.

Tires a year or 2 old, and a reasonable diameter, can be brought back to life by running them over drywall screen.

[Detroit Dave]

Yes this is the track at HOTTSlots and the track is in awesome condition.  The cars we are running on this are vintage cars with silicon coated old foam tires, Paul Gage based urethane reproductions or vintage "Candies" and each of these types love this ultra clean track.  

[don.siegel]

No trouble running silicones and urethanes on the same track Dave? 

 

We've had problems like that in Bordo, but seems to be more with the newer and home-made silicones than the Candies, which are the best around - but we have a black tire rule, and there aren't a lot of black Candies around... 

 

Don 

[Eddie Fleming]

Tires a year or 2 old, and a reasonable diameter, can be brought back to life by running them over drywall screen.

That's cool, but just how do you do it and what is the effect on the tire?

[MSwiss]

It helps to have 2 people.

I go to the outer lane and have the custom rev the car about 2/3rds speed and I lower the back end on the screen, 1 tire at a time.

Not much different than one would do with sandpaper, but I think it works better because some of the ground rubber dissapates thru the holes in the screen.

It leaves a bit of a mess, but it's easily cleaned up with a lint roller.

The tires will have a bit of texture to them, but that will smooth out with a bit of running.

Obviously not as good as using a tire truer, but it's quick and good enough for the casual racer.

[Detroit Dave]

Don,  I am relatively new to this track and the owner has not expressed any concerns with the tire compounds but only with the use of glue.  Because we only run for the fun and haven't laid down any significant track time yet, I'm not sure how the track will be impacted by our hand spun silicon coated tires but I'll keep my eyes open for the negative effects. 

[don.siegel]

Thanks Dave - I'd be very interested. 

 

It's funny that this has been a controversy that's lingered since the 60s, when you could already see comments about silicones spoiling the track for others... 

 

On the Bordo track, which was resurfaced with polyurethane paint, so glossy, there definitely does seem to be an effect, but it really depends on which tires are used. In fact, drivers have been moaning about it for years, so  last year we just banned silicones. Traction seemed more regular, and nobody complained - a first! - but we also had fewer entrants than usual, and the fast Italian guys weren't there. 

 

We shall see this year in just a couple months... 

 

Don 

[Steve Ogilvie]

We originally built this track for Ernie Mossetti back in the 90's .It was used in his raceway in Toronto .We did have trouble with wing cars hitting one part of the bridge .It was built with scale hard body cars in mind and Brian and I never thought to check a wing car when we built it because we assumed a hardbody would be higher .After it ran for a couple of weeks , I went down and jacked it up and adjusted it as much as I could and then a wing car could just barely clear .But after Ernie closed up , I did not know where this track ended up .If the track was leveled up a little better , they probably would not need those 2x4's to prop up the drivers panel .

[Steve Ogilvie]

We built one other crossover track .It was an oval with crossovers in the middle of the straights .It was actually two completely built 4 lane tracks that were assembled together to give the look of one 8 lane track .That one was a lot of work but it looked awesome .

[Detroit Dave]

It was a sad day when this track closed it doors for the last time last year. DJ's hobbies in St. Clair Shores MI. Dave was a wonderful person and always made us feel at home. The track was incredible and they ran wing cars on this track regularly. I think the nickname for this track was "The Whip." Two very high banks on the far end followed by a straightaway and very tight turn on the right nearside just out of the picture. Very fun track to run on which was always kept in pristine shape.  

 

I heard this track went to somewhere in the middle of the country and the building was hit with a good storm causing some damage to the track. I hope she is still up and running.  

 

[NSwanberg]

You did not know?
 
Upstate Speedway

[Detroit Dave]

Excellent! I see a road trip in my future.

[Guy Spaulding]

We have a Mid-South race scheduled for May 21 at Inman. We usually run two of our four classes on this "Corner Climb". 

Most of us revere this track as the most interesting in the region. Others have a hard time getting the timing down

[Detroit Dave]

I remember the nick name the whip had to do with how you had to time the acceleration in the first corner of the bank to whip your self into the second leg of the bank.  Lots of wrecks in the next corner as this is such a tight flat turn after the major speed section of the track.  Lots of fun!

[Michael Jr.]

It was a sad day when this track closed it doors for the last time last year.  DJ's hobbies in St. Clair Shores MI.  Dave was a wonderful person and always made us feel at home.  The track was incredible and they ran wing cars on this track regularly.  I think the nick name for this track was "The Whip".   Two very high banks on the far end followed by a straightaway and very tight turn on the right nearside just out of the picture. Very fun track to run on which was always kept in pristine shape.  I heard this track went to somewhere in the middle of the country and the building was hit with a good storm causing some damage to the track.  I hope she is still up and running.  
The Whip.jpg

This track was in a building hit by a storm BUT was unharmed.

[Ramcatlarry]

Both the Ogilvie crossover and the Dadds corner climber were at Mid-America Raceway (Illinois) at the same time when Roger took over the business several years ago.

[Michael Jr.]

 

We have honestly loved having this track at Upstate. It's been a ball to race on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Blog discussions do NOT constitute a plan at the track. The Blogs are a place for me to learn, dream, imagine, network, and sometimes goof off. Plans at my track are discussed and announced in official track pages or the web site.

[Roger Schmitt]

Rob is right. TOA convention for sure. Track was also at Mid-America in Montgomery, IL for a time before the Midwest Monster replaced it.

 
I never had that track in my store.

[Ramcatlarry]

It was IN the store before Roger took MidAmerica over from the Meharry family.